Rice University
16-23-2, 6-10-2
Florida Atlantic
29-9-1, 13-4-1
Rice & FAU Tie 6-6
4/22/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Box Score | Photo Gallery 1 
| Photo Gallery 2
Recap by: John Sullivan, Rice Athletics (jsully@rice.edu)
HOUSTON -- The Rice baseball team was threatening for runs with two men on base and no outs recorded in the bottom of the ninth inning of a tie, 6-6, Conference USA league game against No. 25 ranked FAU Sunday afternoon at Reckling Park when the game was abruptly ended by an imposed travel curfew.
With a 6-6 tie Rice is now 16-23-2 overall and 6-10-2 in C-USA league play. FAU is 29-9-1 on the season and 13-4-1 in conference. Just over a week ago Rice baseball had played the better part of the last 60 years without recording a tie. The program now has two in the last eight days.
With the score deadlocked 6-6 the ninth inning was a wild ride. In the top of the frame FAU wanted a hard-shot by Pedro Pages on the left side called "fair" after David Miranda knocked a two-out double off the wall in left. The umpires huddled, ruled the ball landed "foul," and Rice was able to get out of the inning without FAU scoring.
In Rice's half of the ninth, Chace Sarchet hit a leadoff double to left and FAU elected to intentionally walk freshman Trei Cruz (with first base open). With two men on base and no outs Rice had a comeback in high-gear. The game was ruled final moments after the intentional pass to Cruz.
Early in the contest FAU used the longball to drive in its first three runs. In the top of the second Gunnar Lambert singled and Jared DeSantolo hit a two-out home run to left field. Rice answered with a homer in bottom of the third. Ford Proctor's solo shot to right made it 2-1. FAU came back with a solo homer in the top of the fourth before adding runs again in both the fifth and the seventh to stretch the lead to 5-1.
Down but not out, Rice continued to fight. In the bottom of the seventh, Rodrigo Duluc reached on a fielder's choice and FAU carefully walked Proctor to put runners on first and second. Back-to-back singles by Ryan Chandler and Braden Comeaux plated two runs to make it 5-3. In a quiet but key play, Andrew Dunlap hustled to reach first base on a fielder's choice when FAU was trying to turn a double play. Rice was still alive, and Chace Sarchet followed with a RBI single to right-center field to drive in one more run and pull within one, 5-4.
FAU battled back with a run in the eighth which seemed like some welcome insurance. Proctor, however, blasted a two-out two-run homer in the bottom of the frame to tie the score 6-6. Neither team scored a run in the ninth.
Rice has concluded the weekend series vs. FAU but still has four more games remaining in the lengthy homestand. Rice next hosts C-USA foe Charlotte in a three-game series beginning on Friday (April 27). Start time is set for 6:30 pm at Reckling Park.
Team Stats
Batting:
2B: David Miranda 1
HR: Gunnar Lambert 1 ; Jared DeSantolo 1
RBI: Gunnar Lambert 1 ; Cody Wilson 1 ; Jared DeSantolo 3
SH: Jordan Poore 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pedro Pages 1 ; Gunnar Lambert 3 ; Jared DeSantolo 2
Batting:
2B: Sarchet, Chase 2
HR: Proctor, Ford 2
RBI: Proctor, Ford 3 ; Chandler, Ryan 1 ; Comeaux, Braden 1 ; Sarchet, Chase 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Proctor, Ford 3 ; Chandler, Ryan 1 ; Gneiting, Bradley 1 ; Duluc, Rodrigo 1
